Panasonic versus Digilux 3

[phovsho]

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Hi

My wife is a fan of the Digilux 1, but now want to upgrade. She really like sthe Digilux 1's size and function, and the results are great but for the relatively limiting file size. Plus she wants to experiemnt with raw. We found a nice Digilux 2 second hand, but nervous about being 3 years old and didn't like the evf and lack of raw buffer.

 

Now she is tossing up between D200, D80, Digilux 3 and the Panasonic equivalent. I wuld naturally go with the Leica over the Panasonic, if there was a few hundred dollars in it, but in New Zealand the Leica is 45% more expensive than the Panasonic. Indeed, i could get a grey market with store guarantee less than half the price of the Leica! Apparently, Panasonic are struggling to sell these cameras here (and elsewhere?)

 

I'm interested in what the feeling is between the Panasonic and the Leica. Are there any decent online reviews comparing the two?

 

Also, any thoughts on the Digilux 3 route versus the Nikon dslr route? Digilux is lighter and sligtly more compact (the reason we are considering the D80), but is it really a system? My wife wants to keep it simple, but is a graphic designer and likes a flexible tool.

 

Thoughts appreciated.

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[dugby]

Murray... I have a D1, D2 and now D3( actually L1).

 

Much about what you ask has been extensively discussed in this forum earlier. just do a search and you will find many hours of interesting reading.

 

The L1 has two levels (V2.0 and V1.10) of Firmware and tangible features that the D3 does not have (yet).

 

I did a shoot with a colleague last year, my D2 and his D80....... he was quite disappointed with his D80 images compared with those from my D2.

 

Even though the images from my L1 are significantly better than those from my D2. I still like to use the D2 for certain occasions (usually ISO 100 in good light situations, and non-action) otherwise I also go with the L1. (except were mirror noise becomes an issue..... in Classical Music concerts when my daughter is performing etc).

 

The D2 and L1 are classical-to-use cameras. Whereas the competitors are more electronic menu driven devices.

 

Regards from the West Island....

[rjans]

Murray,

I have read some reviews comparing the Panasonic with the Leica Digilux 3. One was in a German magazine, another in a Dutch and one in Amateurphotographer. The one in amateurphotographer is a payable download (http://www.amateurphotographer.com -> buy test reports). Price is 3 £. It also includes the Oly E-330.

My conclusion is that there is not much difference between the Panasonic and the Leica.

A slight color rendering difference but very difficult to distinguish in prints in a magazine. You could also try to search our forum here.

Best

Roger

[spylaw4]

The D2, despite its faults (the prinicpal ones are those you mention) nevertheless produces very special pictures. There was thread a while back - Do D2 pictures have a distinctive look - which may be worth looking at. Its in-camera jpegs are excellent. Leica appears to have extended the warranty (indefinitely?) to cover certain sensor failures which AFAIK seems to be the main fault.

 

IMO the main advantage of the D3 over the L1 is the Leica warranty, and maybe the perceived cachet of the red dot - but is it really worth the extra $/£? I went for the L1 and with a bit of practice and careful selection of menu options it is a cracking good camera, especially with the V2 firmware update. Personally I would prefer not to buy a grey market product.

 

As dugby says - there are many threads about the D3/L1 and the results produced! Happy browsing!

[designdog]

I have a Digilux 2 and an L1. There is no way to justify the additional $$ for the D3 - even the owner's manual is identical. Plus, Panasonic is still upgrading firmware.

 

Remember the camera is not a Leica, not a Panasonic, and not an Olympus. And, in my case, I am using Contax lenses. What a quorum!

 

Leica is a funny company. On the one hand, their informal warranty policy is outstanding. On the other, there is no excuse for much of the recent quality issues to begin with - from a premium brand.

 

These quality issues, Leica's slowness in making an appearance in the 21st century, and its apparent insouciance towards allowing its trademark to appear on any lens that Panasonic puts out there (didn't know Leica made video lenses...) are going to bring the company down. The other German cachet brands, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche never went that route, although "Porsche Design" almost did.

 

-ddog

[MJLogan]

The fixes and added features of the first Panasonic firmware upgrade were incorporated into the original release of the Digilux 3. We're waiting for a firmware update from Leica to get the advantages of the second Panasonic update. A Leica update is in the works, we're told, but no release date has been mentioned.

 

I did go for the D3 over the L1, for a variety of sentimental and aesthetic reasons, but that was before the L1 was so heavily discounted. If I were making the purchase now, I wouldn't be able to justify the larger price difference.

 

If you shoot raw (and you should--trust me--if only for the miracle of highlight recovery), you should experience virtually no difference between the two cameras. And with the money you save you can buy the new 25mm f1.4 prime lens!

 

Oh--and for what it's worth, I prefer the look of the images my D3 produces to those of a friend's Nikon D80. I vastly prefer the experience of using the D3 over the Nikon, because of the "old school" control layout.

[rliamo]

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Only 60,000 D2's were produced and a lot of people that got one (my self included) won't part ith 'em.If you don't fancy the look of the one on e-bay try and get one in N.Z even with the premium you wont loose money on the camera if you don't take a shine to it.Got mine in Jan 07 for 480 GBP and it's still my favourite cam even though I've bought a dslr since Good Luck....Liam

[phovsho]

Thanks for your help. Went with the L1. Couldn't justify the Leica premium, plus it was in stock and we could walk out the door with it today. D2 is a lovely camera, but the raw issues and the EVF were not to my wife's liking. I have to keep reminding myself the camera is for her, not me...

 

Thanks again. Reality is, I doubt you could go wrong with a D2, D3 or L1.

 

Murray

[dugby]

Thanks for your help. Went with the L1. Couldn't justify the Leica premium, plus it was in stock and we could walk out the door with it today. D2 is a lovely camera, but the raw issues and the EVF were not to my wife's liking. I have to keep reminding myself the camera is for her, not me...

 

Thanks again. Reality is, I doubt you could go wrong with a D2, D3 or L1.

 

Murray

 

Congratulations Murray.

 

You can download the V2.0 firmware that introduces 10 new features onto the L1 that the D3 is waiting upon.

 

DMC-L1K Firmware update service | Digital Camera | Digital AV | Product Support | Support | Panasonic Global

 

Do this soon as the pre- V2.0 in-camera jpegs are quite unacceptable once you see the post V2.0 jpegs

[johnjs]

.....

Also, any thoughts on the Digilux 3 route versus the Nikon dslr route? Digilux is lighter and sligtly more compact (the reason we are considering the D80), but is it really a system? My wife wants to keep it simple, but is a graphic designer and likes a flexible tool......

 

I don't own the D3 but I do have the D200 with several Nikon and Zeiss lenses. I count myself amongst the many who wished Leica would have simply upgraded the D2 with a larger buffer, improved EVF, and other minor enhancements discussed here over the past few years.

The D200 is a very flexible, rugged, weatherproofed, and quick body, with a bright large viewfinder. You can buffer 39 full-size JPEGs or 19 RAWs at up to 5fps. I've read the D3's viewfinder is marginal, although others don't seem to mind it, and I'm not sure about the relative speed of the D3, which may not even be a factor to you. Lately, I shoot my D200 mostly in manual with manual focus Zeiss ZF mount, with full metering, yet I can switch to the 18-200 VR for action and focal-lengths.

Ultimately, you would want to handle and look through both cameras before deciding, and compare the images produced from each. If I was set on getting that Four-Thirds camera, I'd go for the Panasonic version for the all-black body and the cost savings.

best-John

[d_lague]

I would love to have a Leica logo on my L1.......but at $1199 USD from J&R compared to $2500 for the D3.....well what is that 2 cameras for the price of one.

 

I have both the LC-1 and the L1 and I thought the LC-1 was a bargain at $1199 when I bought it 20 months ago for that terrific lens. My LC-1 is in for a new sensor and I can't wait to get that camera back.

 

The L1 is a fabulous tool. I am having so much fun exploring its capabilities.....and I can use all those OM Olympus lenses that I forgot to sell on eBay.

 

As has been pointed out in this thread these are great cameras that produce amazing results and are quite easy to use for the old film photographer. Auto works great and manual control is so easy.

[smg_doug]

You can now order from Amazon even 50 bucks cheaper than J and R, and I got free shipping. I ordered 2 days ago.

 

They had other 3rd party companies selling too, but I don't trust though, I trust Amazon's delivery network direct, and you should too instead of one of the NY/NY unfaithfuls, oh my! As I like to call it, the NY/NJ photo/AV mafia.

 

Anyway, 1150 delivered, not bad. Not bad at all. I was ready to order the Leica for 2500, and after I thought about it, I decided, first off, the lenses are 100% identical. 2nd, it is an aging body (1 year now), and will likely be replaced by an updated camera at some point. I am optimistic that when the upgrade occurs down the line, maybe they offer a new lens option, or body only, and I'll be set.

 

Anyway, each camera has it's benefits, but to pay twice as much for the Leica name, when Leica technically didn't make the camera anyway, well, not necessary. I'll take my chances on minor firmware differences.

 

John, you are right the D200 is a great camera, no plans to sell mine or my D2X. But I got sucked into this Leica thing all because of a D-Lux 3 pocket cam.Then a V-Lux 1, now L1. I am having a hard time deciding to return theV-Lux1 though, lol.

 

Doug